Students Demand Accountability After Fatal Dandiya Event
The organisation called on the government to issue specific guidelines for events at educational institutions, covering crowd management, emergency exits, fire safety, medical facilities and police permissions.
Hyderabad: Students took to the streets on Sunday, demanding accountability and stronger safety measures at educational institutions following the death of Soni and hospitalisation of several others after the Dandiya event at MVSR Engineering College, Nadergul.
Students’ Federation of India (SFI) Telangana state secretary T. Nagaraju questioned why adequate safety measures had not been ensured before the event.
He alleged that engineering colleges were increasingly organising large cultural programmes and film-related events for revenue, citing programmes at Malla Reddy institutions and events involving film personalities, including Preethi Reddy and Sreeleela.
Another student leader, Prabhakar, asked whether police were adequately checking permissions and safety arrangements before such programmes.
He raised concerns over drug use among students and urged authorities to exercise greater caution when permitting campus events.
S. Rajanikanth demanded a comprehensive inquiry into the MVSR incident and strict legal action against those found responsible.
The organisation called on the government to issue specific guidelines for events at educational institutions, covering crowd management, emergency exits, fire safety, medical facilities and police permissions.
It warned against allowing entertainment programmes to put students’ lives at risk.
Meanwhile, JNTUH Joint Action Committee state president Balgar Sandeep demanded ₹5 crore compensation for Soni’s family and free medical treatment for the injured students, with the college management bearing the expenses.
He also sought free education for the injured until they completed their courses, along with psychological counselling and other support.
Sandeep further called for an impartial, high-level inquiry into event permissions, safety arrangements, emergency exits, medical facilities and crowd management.
He urged the Telangana government to conduct special safety inspections across engineering colleges and other institutions to ensure fire safety, first-aid facilities, ambulance services and adequate crowd-control arrangements.